Audiobook Review: A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda

Audiobook Length: 23 hours 16 minutes

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world torn apart.

[Click Here for the Novel’s Trigger Warnings]

A Court of Mist and Fury continues the adventure after the cliffhanger-type ending of A Court of Thorns and Roses. The story continues after the events Under the Mountain with Amarantha. Feyre returns to the Spring Court with Tamlin who each are deeply affected by the events and are dealing with the aftermath in their own way. Tamlin fears anything happening to Feyre and keeps her trapped in his own way to keep her safe. Instead of dealing with the feelings, he avoids them by even avoiding Feyre’s needs. Feyre may be a High Fae now, but her human heart keeps her feeling about the past events plus her mind is reminded by her bargain with Rhysand. Thus begins Feyre’s journey between the Spring and Night Court and the reader begins to see the true story unfold.

For the romance portion of the story, I am on the fence about how to summarize my thoughts. I am all for Rhys and Feyre as I love them together and fully connect with them as a couple compared to Tamlin and Feyre. I liked the underlying idea that your first love is not necessarily your true love, which is a nice element to incorporate into the story. Many novels in this genre tend to have the very first person a character comes across are immediately soul mates, so I do like how Maas writes multiple possibilities. My main qualm is how she transitions from one love interest from the other. For me, the way a character falls for the second (or third) interest comes across as forced and the first either becomes unlikable in some way or is placed immediately with another love interest. For me, in both this series and Throne of Glass, this transition is not perfected. I am sure tons of readers will see it differently, but I almost need to separate myself from this portion of the series to make it more enjoyable.

The way the story seems to be going regarding the actual plot and characters makes complete sense. I think the general outline of everything is amazing and I love it, especially how Feyre’s relationship with those in the Night Court progresses. I also do not mind the direction of Tamlin’s story and how he plays a part in the overall story. For me, everything presented in Book 1 (“Point A”) and everything at the end of Book 2 (“Point B”) makes sense and I see Maas’s grand scheme, but there seems to be a missing link between A and B. Rhys, Feyre, and Tamlin all were traumatized by the events of Book 1, but Feyre and Rhys seem to be given a lot more attention than Tamlin as Maas wants to paint Tamlin in a certain way to ensure the rest of the series goes to plan. It seems like a disservice to his character where he was at least given some attention in book one. Even though Tamlin was not my favorite character at the beginning, nor do I think he will end up as a favorite towards the end, I feel that he still needed more care with the writing of his character.

Rhysand’s inner circle, Azriel, Cassian, Amren, and Mor, were all enjoyable as they were not only great on their own, but they helped build layers on Rhysand’s character. They contract Tamlin’s Court with characters such as Lucien well as each of the groups operate in different ways. They are each loyal in their own ways and fit into the story well. All the relationships and subplots fit well into the main war plot brewing in the background. There is a lot to accomplish to prevent a chaotic end and I cannot wait to read all about it. Overall, I think this novel sets up the third novel well. Now that many of the characters seem to have established paths and romances, I predict I am going to love the rest of the series. Feyre’s growth as an individual was the true standout of this story as she went through trauma and changes. This series, so far, has been well worth the wait for me to start and I cannot wait to continue!